What if improving farmers’ incomes depended as much on financing the businesses that purchase their produce as it does on supporting the farmers themselves? A new investment initiative by Ground Up Investing is seeking to address this challenge through a $20 million fund targeting agricultural small and medium-sized enterprises across Africa and Latin America.
Ground Up Investing, the impact investment arm of Corus International, announced a $6 million first close for its second agricultural investment fund on October 20, 2026. With Corus International serving as its anchor investor, the fund will provide working-capital loans to agricultural businesses in Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Colombia, Peru and Ecuador.
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The initiative targets enterprises that purchase crops directly from smallholder farmers and connect them to larger markets. These businesses play an important role in agricultural supply chains, linking rural producers with processors, distributors and consumers.
The fund will provide two-year working-capital loans, typically ranging from $250,000 to $1 million. This financing model addresses a gap between the smaller loans available through microfinance institutions and the larger investments often sought by commercial lenders.
Ground Up Investing aims to generate $200 million in additional income for smallholder farmers and improve land management across more than 20,000 acres.
The initiative builds on the organisation’s first fund, launched in 2017, which invested $5 million in 15 agricultural enterprises. According to the organisation, those businesses collectively paid farmers more than $50 million and created over 800 local jobs.
The financing approach recognises that agricultural businesses often struggle to secure working capital despite their essential role in rural economies. Without sufficient funding, enterprises may be unable to purchase crops promptly, expand storage capacity, invest in processing equipment or maintain reliable relationships with farmers.
For African countries, strengthening these businesses could improve agricultural market access, encourage local processing and reduce losses across supply chains. It could also create more predictable markets for smallholder farmers, whose incomes are frequently affected by limited access to buyers and inadequate storage facilities.
However, the fund’s development targets remain projections. Its actual contribution will depend on how effectively financing reaches viable businesses and translates into higher farmer incomes, improved productivity and sustainable operations.
Africa’s agricultural transformation requires investment across the entire value chain. Supporting farmers remains essential, but strengthening the enterprises connecting production to markets is equally important.
The Ground Up Investing initiative demonstrates how targeted financing can address a frequently overlooked part of agricultural development, helping to connect investment capital with rural enterprise, stronger markets and improved livelihoods.
